Summary Box: FTC hires more help in Google probe

: The FTC has hired prominent trial lawyer Beth Wilkinson to oversee its year-old probe into Google's business practices.

LAWYER'S BACKGROUND: Wilkinson is a former Justice Department prosecutor best known for helping to convict Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh in 1997. She is now a Washington, D.C.-based partner at a law firm.

WHAT IT MEANS: The FTC stressed Wilkinson's hiring shouldn't be interpreted as a sign that it intends to sue Google Inc. But a former FTC lawyer says it is a clear sign that the FTC has uncovered problems that may require taking Google to court to resolve.